Quarterback shuffle returns to Tar Heels

CHAPEL HILL — Brandon Harris insists the positive approach works best, so even with the North Carolina offense in the doldrums the quarterback is upbeat.

“I know how it works, so I just try to be positive,” Harris said. “We just have to continue to be positive because positive energy, I think all of you would agree, is a good thing for a team. It’s easier for people to be negative right now just because we are not winning.”

Harris returned to a starting role in last week’s 20-14 loss to Virginia.

It was the graduate transfer’s first start since the season opener.

So that brings more questions this week about the quarterback position as the Tar Heels (1-6 overall, 0-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) head to No. 14 Virginia Tech for Saturday’s game.

Redshirt freshman Chazz Surratt had been the starter for the past month before a switch last week that coach Larry Fedora said was based on Harris’ better performances in practice.

Despite Harris’ 7-for-18 passing for 46 yards and three interceptions Saturday, Fedora gave an endorsement.

“I thought probably about 90 percent of the time his decision making was good,” Fedora said. “And I’m not just talking about in the passing game. I’m talking about in the run game when we ask him to make decisions on whether he’s giving, pulling, all of those things. A couple of throws you’d like to have back. I’d have liked for him to have a couple of those throws when he wasn’t getting hit and he wasn’t getting pressured as heavily as he was.”

Yet this week it’s more of a mystery as far who’ll take the snaps.

Harris said he learned of the starting assignment “I guess when I took the first snap.”

This week, Harris declined to provide specifics about the workload in practice. Surratt hasn’t been made available for comment.

“The same as we’ve done every week,” Fedora said. “We’ll still split the reps, and the guy who is doing the best in practice this week will be the guy who will probably go. So we won’t change anything.”

Others on the offense apparently won’t flinch regardless of who’s handling the ball.

“Whoever is out there, you just have to roll with them,” said junior tight end Brandon Fritts said.